[WCUSP] Luisa Morgantini ,vice president of the Eropean Parlament

[yvonne simmons]

 Original Message ----- 
From: MORGANTINI Luisa 


PRESS RELEASE 

By

LUISA MORGANTINI

 

Vice President of he European Parliament

(GUE/NGL)

  

The European Parliament calls for the lift of the
blockade in Gaza

and free movement for people and goods on all the
Occupied Palestinian Territories  

 

Brussels 11th October 2007,  

 
In a resolution voted today in the Parliament, MEPs,
called on Israeli Government for the lifting of the
blockade of the Gaza Strip and to fulfill its
international obligations under the Geneva Conventions
to guarantee the flow of humanitarian aid,
humanitarian assistance and essential services, such
as electricity and fuel. Luisa Morgantini, Vice
President of the European Parliament, who was in the
Parliamentary delegation in Gaza Strip, on her speech
stressed the need to lift the embargo on people and
goods  and the end of the military occupation. 
 
"I  was recently in Gaza- Luisa Morgantini declared-
and I saw how the Strip is suffocating in a serious
humanitarian crisis due to the raids and the closure
imposed by the Israeli Army: massive devastation of
public facilities and private homes, the disruption of
hospitals, clinics and schools, the denial of access
to proper drinking water, food and electricity, and
the destruction of agricultural land wanted by Israel
create a true catastrophe for civilians. Furthermore,
the blockade on the movement paralyses the economy and
contributes to an extremely high rate of unemployment,
while the health system is under severe pressure, a
significant proportion of the population is suffering
from a lack of urgently needed treatment and medicines
and many NGOs and humanitarian organisations are
obstructed by the lack of freedom of movement and of
resources. 
 
European Union has to demand with  force to the
Israeli Government that human rights and International
law must be fully respected in the whole area, ending
the continued emergency of Gaza Strip but also the
military occupation in West Bank, where the robbery of
Palestinian lands continues without any condemnation
and, in spite of the meeting between Olmert and Abbas,
the Israelis change the situation on the ground which
casts serious doubts if they want peace or just
gaining time to grab more land: it is an example the
recent decision by the IDF to expropriate 272 acres of
land from four Arab villages in order to build, as
declared by Israeli Authorities, a new Palestinian
road that would connect East Jerusalem with Jericho.
But this decision would free up the existing E1 area
between Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adunim, allowing the
construction of a new Jewish settlement consisting of
3,500 apartments and an industrial park, blocked by an
international protest since 2004, that showed the risk
of the cutting of the West Bank in two, separating
East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank. This
unilateral and illegal policy by Israeli Authorities
must immediately end. 
 
 EU must to face up to its full responsibility on the
respect of the legality, first through implementation
of the existent EU-Israel Agreements on Movement and
Access,  but also imposing Israel to respect the
International law concerning human rights, to end  the
military occupation in West Bank and the closure of
the Gaza Strip and of the WB: even if there is an
humanitarian tragedy, its solution is political. 
 
This is the only way to achieve a just and lasting
peace and to give more credibility to the
International Peace Conference in November,
reinforcing the negotiations based on the UN
resolutions and on the right of Palestinians and
Israelis to live in two States, in peace and
security".    
 
 

Further info Luisa Morgantini  0039 348 39 21 465 or
Francesca Cutarelli 0039 340 56 49 335 

Luisa.morgantini at europarl.europa.eu 
www.luisamorgantini.net 

 




       
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